Last Sacrifice
by Chantie15
Summary: Murder. Love. Jealousy. And the ultimate sacrifice. Now, with Rose on trial for her life and Lissa first in line for the Royal Throne, nothing will ever be the same between them.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One****- Jailbait**

_Guilty of murder._ I've been accused for a lot of things in the past but not this, not _murder_. If someone told me I was guilty of harassing a royal moroi, it was probably true. If I was found guilty of breaking Victor Dashkov out of prison, well, that was definitely true. But to be labelled _guilty of murder_ that was ridiculous, even for me, Rosemarie Hathaway. The worst part is, they think I killed the queen! I've heard a lot of crazy rumours about me circulating around court by gossip hungry moroi but this rumour, I knew, was 100% false. I'll admit- I'm capable of quite a lot, probably even murder, but not the _queen's_ murder. That would have been almost impossible, although I kind of had achieved the impossible when breaking Victor out of jail. I mean, sure, I'd hated the queen but I hadn't hated her enough to _kill _her or even want her death. However, snide comments I'd made to the queen in the past had come back to haunt me. Now the moroi council and probably nearly everyone at court thought I was her killer. _Good one Rose_ I thought angrily. If I was a moroi on the council, I probably would have thought I'd killed the queen to. My track record wasn't that great and my past showed how badass I really was, not to mention how much trouble I'd gotten into back at St. Vladimir's Academy.

So here I was, helplessly arguing with the guardians, who had been ordered to take me away, to the courts jail facility. "I didn't do it!" I yelled loudly, fighting against the guardian's tight grip on my forearm. How dare they drag me away, like I'm some filthy rotten criminal! A few passers-by looked at me weirdly. The hell with them! I thought.

"Just walk. Don't talk" the guardian holding my arm whispered harshly, yanking me forward. I kept tripping over my own two feet, as I stumbled along the footpath. A totally of six guardians surrounded me, forming a tight circle; with me in the middle.

I was led into the guardians building, walking past the front desk where the secretary looked up in surprise; I sneered at her. She saw the look on my face and quickly averted her eyes back to the computer screen.

It seemed like everywhere I went people would stare, whispering, mumbling or arguing about me in hushed voices, that I could still here. _Gossip hungry moroi_ I scowled. We walked down the stairs, leading down to where they kept the criminals locked up in a cell until their trial came around; which could be _months_. I never would have thought I'd end up in a cell where 'Criminals' would be, locked up. I had been in a cell when I broke Victor out of jail but that had been different. I wasn't a criminal then, I was free to make my own choices and go out in the real world. How ironic, now I had ended up in a cell just like him. But Victor _had_ committed a crime, I hadn't, and soon everyone would know that as well. I was innocent.

God, I felt so sick. This was a big mistake, they had gotten the wrong person, I wasn't the killer! No one would believe me though. _Damn it Rose!_ I groaned. Why did I have to open my big mouth the other day and shout abuse at the Queen? If I hadn't, then I wouldn't be here, I would be with Lissa right now talking about what we were going to do about getting her on the council. I didn't have time to chastise myself any longer because we went through another door, leading down deeper and deeper into the heart of the building. A guardian stood at one of the cells, waiting for me to reach him. When I did he unlocked the cell door, with a tiny gold key and swung the door open widely so I could go in.

I thought about refusing but didn't get a chance to because the guardian still holding my arm pushed me into the cell, closing the door behind me. It banged shut with a loud Clang! I flinched and turned around to look at the inside of my cell. There was a small cot in the corner and well… that was it. It wasn't very big; the cell was about three metres wide and three metres long.

I sighed, walking over to the cot and lowering myself down onto its rough surface. It was quite hard; no doubt it would be uncomfortable to sleep on. The six guardians that had taken me here walked over to the other side of the room and spoke in quiet voices, just out of hearing range. I put my head in my hands and groaned. I'd been in here all of twenty seconds and already I hated it. Is this what Dimitri had felt like, when he was put into a cell and locked up, to ponder on all the horrible things he had done as a strigoi? He would have gone mad thinking about it all. No wonder he told Lissa not to let me come down and see him. He didn't want to be reminded of all the awful things he had done to _me_. And all I had done was make it harder for him, storming down here and demanding his attention because I had wanted to see him so badly. But really all I had done was torture him. He wanted to forget the past and move on to be a dhampir again, Lissa was the only one who comforted him and didn't remind him of all the things he'd done. I had and I wish I had of waited a bit longer to see him, maybe then he would choose to still love me. Things could have been different, I should have given him time to grieve and then when he'd asked for me I would have come. I felt like an idiot, one who had screwed up badly. A tear slid down my cheek and my body vibrated, sending short spasms up and down my spine.

Someone cleared there throat and I looked up, startled. Tomas Sanders. The guardian who had aided Lissa, Eddie and I in our crazy mission to restore Dimitri's soul, was standing at the front of my cell, with an uneasy look on his face. I gave him a small smile and hastily wiped the tears from my face.

"Hey" I said gruffly.

"Hey" he replied, letting out a heavy breath.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I heard what happened, it'll be okay, I promise." I grimaced.

"I'm not so sure this time." I replied sadly.

I stayed in the cell for how many days, I wasn't so sure. No one came to visit me except for the guardians on patrol- who were either checking I hadn't escaped or wanting to know if I needed the bathroom. I was a little angry Lissa hadn't checked to see how I was or Adrian or even Dimitri at the very least. None of my friends seemed to care I was locked away, down here in this awful cell. With nothing to do except ponder on all my thoughts. Did they really think I was the killer? Surely Lissa and Dimitri new I would never even think of doing something as horrible as this. Would they? Is their faith in me loosening? Unravelling little by little? It seemed unlikely but… then again, it was also unlikely to restore a Strigoi's earlier form but we proved that to be wrong.

The queen's death was a mystery, who was her real killer? I didn't know but I sure as hell intended to find out, well, as soon as I got out of here anyway. Maybe Lissa and Adrian could find out something while I was imprisoned down here. Dimitri could even help them out. Whoever did it must want me out of the way; obviously they were trying to get to Lissa that was the most likely reason. With me out of the way there was nothing stopping them from getting to her. I didn't have that many enemies among the dhampir's or moroi. Okay, that was a lie. For example, Victor Dashkov and the Strigoi were my enemies. (I'm pretty sure I had been labelled _Dangerous_ in Strigoi society. I would be a bigger target then Lissa, which definitely wasn't good. Especially as I wanted to be her guardian, the two of us together was like looking directly into the face of the grand prize; an easy target)

For some reason my mind drifted towards Adrian, my on-again, off-again boyfriend. Our current status was on, since I had given up on Dimitri, although my feelings and desire for Dimitri still hadn't dimmed or faded like his love for me claimed to. After my last encounter with Dimitri, my thoughts were filled with hope, the way he had protected me from the queens army of guardians was breathtaking and surely that meant he still _loved me_ no matter what he claimed. I knew it wasn't just because I was in trouble; he had given me a look when I was in the court room, and it was a look full of determination, love and sympathy. One that made him look like the god I loved and remembered. Although he had said some pretty cruel things (Somewhere along the lines of "Love fades. Mine has") I still couldn't get over him and move on.

I hated to admit it but whenever I think about the possible suspect for the queens murder, my thoughts always swirled back to Adrian. He had left me early in the morning; he could have taken my stake and hid it in his jacket pocket, then gone over to see the queen, then BAM! Staked her in the heart and taken her by surprise. That's crazy, the sane part of my brain scolded. Adrian wouldn't do that. He loved his aunt. No way would he do that. But, again, I just proved that the impossible can be possible. Victor, without a doubt, is a suspect. He's loose. And he would want to get revenge on Tatiana for sending him to jail and not letting Lissa take a spot on the council. But how could he have gotten into the court in the first place without someone noticing? He had a lot of spy's and I didn't doubt at least one of them wouldn't mind helping him kill the queen, especially as she's upset a lot of dhampir's with the age law. Either way, he's still number one on my list of possible suspects. I mentally crossed out Adrian. My boyfriend wouldn't do this, even if he was sometimes insane with the effects of Spirit. Something deep within me told me to trust my instincts and this is what my instincts screamed at me. Adrian. Is. Not. The. Killer.

And then…

Dimitri.

Does he still love me? I know I said Adrian was my boyfriend and Dimitri said he no longer has feeling for me but…Sometimes I wonder. He defended me against the queen's guardians in the café but that doesn't exactly prove his undying love for me. Nevertheless, I won't forget the fierce, protective and… dangerous stance he had taken when he realized they were coming for _me_ not him. I shuddered lightly and it had nothing to do with the cool breeze coming from the vent on the ceiling. My thoughts drifted from thought to thought, person to person until I focused on one person in particular.

Eddie Castile. My best friend- Besides Lissa of course. He was extremely loyal, even when he had discovered my intentions for setting Victor free: To gain information on how to restore a Strigoi's sole. Eddie had stayed and fought with me until the end. How was I ever going to repay him? A few moroi families had withdrawn their application for him to be their guardian, which had made me feel a whole ton of regret and sadness. What best friend put their other friend's reputation on the line? Had I even thought about the consequences my actions would have on others? _No_. I seethed. I wondered what he thought of me now. Did he still think that I needed help? Since being imprisoned wasn't exactly part of the plane in getting Dimitri back. _Yes, of course_, I thought. Eddie would always look out for his friends even if they had treated him badly because that was the kind of person Eddie was. Ever since his best friend and my brief boyfriend, Mason, had died from taking a blow from a strigoi in Spokane, it had changed Eddie's view on things. He had been vulnerable and helpless back then, when the strigoi had kidnapped us. Eddie, like me, blamed Mason's death on himself for not being able to help his best friend and never again would he be in a position like that.

The memory of our adventure in Vegas sparked up another memory-this one unwanted. Of Victor. He was free. He would always be after Lissa and her Spirit abilities; otherwise he would die from the horrible disease he beheld. He wouldn't come after Adrian, even though he knew Adrian was a spirit user, it was because Adrian wasn't nearly as powerful as Lissa was. He couldn't heal as well as her and it would take forever for him to heal victor bit by bit. He couldn't even manage to heal a dead plant for Christ sake! The hard thing was knowing I had let him escape. He had slipped away after the fight with Dimitri when he was a strigoi. He could be anywhere around the world by now and I had no clue where he might be. How was I supposed to find him? I had no clue. Well, there was another option. I could tell the guardians and they'd sort it out. But that would get me, Eddie, Lissa and Adrian into a lot more trouble, me especially. Not forgetting Tomas of course, he would surely be punished worse than the rest of us. And besides, I was in enough trouble as it is. If they found out I had broken out the most wanted moroi criminal in the vampiric world then there was no chance of getting out of this death trap.

Suddenly, a thought jostled me. How could I have not thought of it? I slipped into Lissa's mind almost instantly. It was becoming easier the more and more I tried it. She was in her room, laying down, staring up at the ceiling sullenly. She remained that way for quite a while, thinking about my situation and her ex-boyfriend, Christian who was ignoring her. Lissa and Christian. God. Here was two people that were absolutely perfect for each other, the perfect match yet past experiences kept them apart. Drunken kisses and supposed cheating had made them stubborn as hell! Both of them were to ignorant to apologize to each other and make up. When-if I get out of here, I need to have a serious talk with them- _both of them_.

"Rose?" A soft whisper jarred me out of my internal blabbing. I looked over to see Tomas leaning against the door to my cell, his hands tightly wrapped around the bars. He nodded at the two guardians standing watch a couple of metres away and spoke briskly, "I can take it from here."

One of them raised his eyebrow as if to say, "You sure?"

Tomas waved them away and they shuffled off, leaving us alone except for the guardians posted down the other end of the room, leaving no escape.

I stood up and walked over, to stand in front of him. "What is it, Tomas?"

"I have your trial results." He told me.

I leaned in eagerly.

"They vote undecided. You'll have another trial in a month." He informed me.

"Damn it!" I shouted, kicking the bars. One of the guardians moved forward, reaching for his stake, but Tomas reassured him that there was no threat. "A month?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, apparently your father bought some time." He looked troubled so I asked, "Tomas, how is Lissa and why hasn't she come to see me?"

He looked away uneasily and fidgeted, my eyes narrowed. "Lissa's fine."

"But?" I prompted.

"She isn't allowed to see you. Strict orders from the Ivashkov family. They say you're too dangerous."

My mouthed dropped open and I began sputtering, something I'd never done before, "W-w-what? Dan-ngerous?"

He nodded solemnly and added, "I'm sorry, Rose."

I slid down to the floor and Tomas squatted beside me, so he could look me levelly in the eye. "I've heard some… Rumour's circulating." He said.

"About what?" I asked warily. By then, I was too tired to even care about the rumour's circulating around court, because obviously they were about me.

"Is it true…You have a sister?" He whispered so softly that if I wasn't directly sitting across from him, I wouldn't have heard at all.

My head snapped up, my eyes widened with shock. "What?" I snapped, more sharply than I intended to sound.

"Well," he replied, unfazed. "They say you have a sister- or an illegitimate one." He paused. "Is it true?"

"Of course not!" I exploded, then taking deep breaths I tried to calm myself down. "At least, I don't think so. Where did you hear this?"

"I-" He was cut off by one of the guardians, who appeared at the bottom of the stairs, who was slowly walking over to us.

"Times up." He said, begging to usher Tomas away.

"No! Wait!" I shouted. Tomas looked over his shoulder and the promise in his eyes was so tangible, I could almost feel it. The two guardians resumed their post and Tomas was led up the stairs and back out into freedom. Where I no longer had a place. The room returned to silence once more. But my mind was whirling around with different thoughts, I was so overwhelmed by what I'd heard and tried to decipher; truth from lies. All was quiet except for the one turmoil that was picking up its tempo in my brain.

_They say you have a sister-Or an illegitimate one._


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this has taken so long to put up! I had alot of schoolwork to do :/**

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Chapter two

I sat up slowly and rubbed my neck, my back felt incredibly stiff. The cot I was given to sleep on wasn't my ideal choice of bedding. You sure didn't get luxury accommodations in prison, even if you were wrongly convicted. I wondered if Dimitri had thought the same thing when he was locked away in a cell in these conditions. _Well this was his bed._ I thought glumly. I leant down and grabbed the thin sheet, which I had kicked down to the bottom of the cot, due to a disgruntled sleep. I bought it up to my nose and inhaled. I could almost smell his distinctive scent, it was faint but it was there. I probably looked like an idiot to the guards but Dimitri's scent was somehow comforting, it was as if he were only a foot away.

"What on earth are you doing?" a husky voice asked, startling me out of my moment. My eyes snapped open and I let go of the sheet to see who had spoken. I didn't need any explanation when I saw Dimitri standing at the front of my cell with a western book in his hand. _So he did care about me after all._

"I, uh…" I trailed off; trying to think of something to say that wouldn't make me look like I had gone insane. He wore a grim expression, his lips tilting up in a half smile both amused and sad. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"I was seeing if the sheets smelled bad, after all, I did sweat a lot yesterday." My face reddened in embarrassment. _What kind of excuse was that? He'll know I'm lying!_ He didn't respond but I could tell by his facial expression that he knew that wasn't what I was really doing. There was a heavy moments silence as we stared at each other; we studied one another similarly to the way we had back in the Strigoi hideout- where Dimitri had held me hostage. His brown hair hung loosely around his face. He was freshly shaven I noticed; they must trust him enough to give him a razor blade. His sparkling brown eyes twinkled in the light. But right now, his brown eyes revealed nothing to what he was truly feeling. I was caught in his gaze and I could feel the sadness and loss radiating out of him. Suddenly he slipped up, revealing just enough for me to know his thoughts. He believed I killed the Queen. I could tell. It was in his eyes although he kept his face blank, his expression unreadable but I knew him better. He knew I was capable of a lot of things. I got Victor out of prison, killing the Queen shouldn't have been that much harder. My jaw locked and I clenched my fists. Dimitri was the only person who knew me inside and out. He knew my thoughts, feelings and behavior's better than I or anyone else did. But this time he had guessed wrong because I did NOT kill the Queen, he should know that. Anger burned within me at the thought that Dimitri had judged me that way.

"Why are you here?" I demanded, venom dripping off my words. He frowned, confused at my sudden outburst.

"I came to see you. Why else would I be here?"

"I don't know. You're probably just trying to get some answers I guess." I shrugged, getting out of the cot to stand up. Facing him I crossed my arms across my chest and stood there, staring pointedly. He raised his hand and held onto the bar.

"Is it true?" he asked hesitantly, staring down at the floor, away from me.

"Is what true?" I gritted my teeth and my eyebrows furrowed.

"Did you…did you kill the Queen?" his expression was pained as if he already knew the answer but he didn't know his answer was wrong.

"No. I didn't." I growled, advancing forward to stand directly in front of him. He still wouldn't look at me for some reason. How dare he think I killed her! He should know me better than that. He shouldn't have presumed I was the killer just because everyone else did. Did he really think I was that dangerous? That I was capable of accomplishing the impossible against all odds? _Yes._ I thought.

"Is your faith in me really that low? How could you believe what the others are saying? You know me. I'm not that shallow. You have to believe me. _Please."_ I pleaded. He shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know what to believe anymore." I recoiled as if he'd stung me. _He really didn't believe me._ How could he not believe me? Why would I _lie_ to him? He was being stupid, Dimitri should have known better.

"What, so suddenly I'm a criminal now? Not good enough for you am I? Well, perhaps you should _leave_." He looked at me then, eyes wide and disbelieving.

"Rose that's not what I meant! So much has happened. I've just become a dhampir again and now the Queens dead and you're in here. Your good Rose, why has this happened to you? How come you _let_ it happen?" Both of his hands clung to the bars fiercely and he stared at me with such intensity that I felt like I would start crying under his heated gaze.

"I don't know… _I don't know_." I bit my lip, trying hard to fight back the tears that threatened to escape. I looked away, not wanting to focus on his face.

"Is it true that you have a sister?"" he asked cautiously.

I turned to face him, bewildered. "How do you know that?"

"News travels fast around here." He replied uncaring. "So do you?"

"I have no idea, my mom's never said anything, neither has Abe." I answered. I ran a hand through my tangled hair and sighed, calming down some.

"People say that you and Adrian Ivashkov are dating." I was surprised by his quick change in subject. "Is that true?" _Crap._ I groaned. "Well?"

"…Yes." I hesitated. His expression changed then and he straightened up and put his guardian mask back up.

"Good." He said. "He's better for you than me." My eyes widened.

"That's not true! Don't say things like that. Adrian and I are, just, well…" I was at loss for words. Don't get me wrong I liked Adrian, he was a good guy and he had helped me on my mission to save Dimitri. But I didn't _love_ him. I loved Dimitri, no matter what; it wasn't under my control or his. Something beyond our knowledge kept us together and in a strong unbreakable bond that resulted in us being inseparable. But I like it that way. Dimitri had tried to deny our connection before but I knew he still felt it. _He had to._

"Has Adrian ever tried to kill you or turn you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well no, but…" I faltered.

"See?" he said.

"But that's different! You know it is. You had no idea of what you were doing!" I shouted at him, marching forward and grabbing ahold of the bars, annoyed and frustrated.

"I did know!" he growled back. I threw my hands up, exasperated.

"It doesn't change how I feel about you!" I cried, leaning closer so my forehead was pressed against the bars. He leant back but still kept a firm hold on the bars.

"It doesn't matter." He said flatly.

"I love you and I know you love me to." I said confidently. "You wouldn't have defended me back in the cafeteria otherwise. Admit it; you still have feelings for me." I said seductively. His expression turned hard and he stepped back, letting go of the bars.

"Your wrong this time. I've changed. I don't feel the same way that I used to. I'm sorry for what I did to you and there's no way I can make it up to you but tell you how I really feel." The tears escaped, even though I tried hard to hold them back. He watched me calmly, and lifted a figure to wipe a small tear that was making its way down my cheek.

"I don't believe you. Not after all that we've been through. You're just trying to hide your feelings for me but you don't have to anymore, don't you see? I'm 18, nothing can keep us apart, nothing can hold us back, we're free Dimitri. _We're free." _He clenched his fists and his jaw locked. Looking away he seemed to be debating with himself over something but I didn't know what. A few seconds passed before he turned back to look at me. He took a deep breath.

"Believe what you want Rose. But my love for you has faded. You have to move on. I did." And with that he turned and started to walk away.

"No! Come back, don't leave me here! Please! Dimitri!" I cried out but he didn't turn back and I watched grief stricken as he continued to walk away from me. "You're a coward! We are meant to be together but you're to blind to see it!" I yelled.

I crumpled down onto the floor, putting my head in my hands, sobbing loudly. He's gone. _He's gone._

"No..." I wailed continuously.

The prison was deadly silent and the only sound was my sobs as they echoed through the compacted cell. Dimitri had abandoned me. My lover. He was gone. And he wouldn't be coming back.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone,**

**Sorry this has taken so long to be put up, we've been busy preparing it.**

**The wait is now over, so don't worry :) Enjoy and don't forget to REVIEW!**

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**Chapter Three- the letter

RPOV

Guardians weren't supposed to show weakness. They were strong, fast and dangerous but not _weak_. Maybe that's why I wasn't one yet, simply because I hadn't learnt to control my emotions.

Sitting on my cot- hunched over- with my head in my hands, I let the tears stream silently down my face. My soul ached painfully from Dimitri's rejection- something I would do anything to fix. No matter what I did he refused to admit deep down he still had feelings for me. For the first time in a while I felt uncertain, maybe… maybe he _was _telling the truth and he really didn't love me anymore. What would I do then? Fall back on Adrian? But I didn't _love_ him like I loved Dimitri but I could if I tried. Love fades- true but love _grows_. Now that Dimitri showed no interest whatsoever I had to move on- I _needed_ to. There was no future with him.

It wasn't like I needed a man in my life to complete me. I had Lissa and other great friends who would support me through anything, well… _almost_ anything. No one had come to support me through this. Not even Lissa, which hurt me the most. I had protected Lissa for most of my life, now I was the one in danger and she was nowhere to be seen. What did that say about our friendship? Did I mean nothing to her? No, I did-I _do_ mean something to her. Lissa would soon be on the Moroi council and have a shot at future Queen. She certainly had power and influence; so why didn't she get me out? I intended to find out.

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It had been a week and not _one_ of my friends had come to see how I was, not even my mother. I knew she was half way across the world right now, guarding her moroi, but would it kill her to call at least, _once_? She hadn't bothered to call or visit until my last year at the academy, why start now? I thought snidely. If I stayed in this cell any longer I would surely be driving down the road to insanity. With the way everything seemed to be at the moment I'm pretty sure I was already on that road.

There was only three weeks until my trial, _three weeks_ until it was decided whether or not I lived… or _died_. I didn't want to focus on that too much, it scared me. It was ironic how I'd already been into the land of the dead, come back and got harassed by ghosts- who were hell-bent on getting me back, well, I thought- now they might just get their wish after all. I had every right to be frightened on the thought of going back- I loved life- without life I wouldn't have met all the people who meant the most to me. I would never have fallen in love or made sacrifice's for my loved ones. I wouldn't let them kill me without; One. Last. _Fight_.

The sound of someone clearing there throat made me look up. When I saw Christian standing in front of my jail cell, hands in his pockets, I gasped. "Christian!" I said, delighted. Christian shifted from foot to foot uneasily and I suddenly became terribly aware of my appearance. My hair was a tangled mess, my eyes red and swollen and my breath smelled horrible.

"You don't look to good Rose." He said, not in the mood to crack jokes. I laughed without humour.

"Jail does that to you. Being wrongly convicted makes it worse." I replied, whipping the last of the tears from my face. He grimaced. "How's Lissa?" I asked, staring at the ground.

"I'll tell you later. First, there's someone who wants to see you." I looked up in surprise, wondering who my mystery visitor was. Was it Adrian? No… it had to be Eddie for sure. Possibly Mia considering Christian and her had become close friends. A tall form entered through the jail's security door and advanced towards us. My heart bet faster and I craned my neck to get a better look. When I recognised who it was I froze. Tasha Ozera walked over to stand next to Christian a small smile on her face. Anger boiled up inside me and I shot a glare at Christian.

"What is _she_ doing here?" I asked Christian, venom dripping off my words. I saw surprise register on Tasha's scarred yet beautiful face.

"_She_ came to help you, show her some respect Rose." Christian snapped, clearly annoyed at my behaviour towards his Aunt.

"Rose, I'm so sorry about all this." She said, moving her hands in a collective gesture, whilst her eyes circled the cell.

"_Why_? Why are you sorry?" I spat. "Because I-I should have stuck up for you last week, and I didn't." She bowed her head in shame.

"Yeah, well, nothing can be done now. All there's left to do is wait." I sighed heavily.

"And I want to apologise for my, uh, public affection towards Dimitri. I know you loved him." She put a hand on one of the bars and looked down at me with a pitiful expression. I stood up with lightning speed and Tasha leant back slightly.

"That," I said, pointing a finger at her, "Is a load of bullshit and you know it!" I hissed. She flinched at my harshness.

"Rose you have to believe me; I wouldn't do that to you. It's true that Dimka," I glowered at the name, "and I have known each other for a long time and that, on my part, developed romantic feelings towards him. But I saw the way he looked and acted around you, that stopped me in my approach because I knew- no matter how much I liked him- he would never be able to return those feelings if his heart was set on you." She spoke with desperation and yearned for my understanding but the more she explained the angrier I got.

"I guess now that him and I are over- you're going to try again, huh?" I growled and clenched my fists.

"No! Of course not, I wouldn't do that to you, or him," I scowled, "Plus if he was to ever be my guardian it would be because of his skills." She pointed out.

"Ha! His _skills_?" _Skills in bed_, I thought haltingly. "Why can't you just admit you still want him as much as I do and you'll do anything in your power to get him?" I shouted harshly, and Tasha flinched, taking two steps away from my cell. I was acting like a bratty teenager, I know. But when it came to Dimitri, it didn't matter if I made a fool of myself or not. Funny how love drives you crazy.

"That's _enough_, Rose!" Christian snarled. I looked from Tasha to Christian. His eyes burned with anger and agitation.

"Stop acting like a child, you're just upset because we're the only ones who've come to visit you. Where here to help you and all you're doing is yelling at Tasha because you think she stole your teacher from you! Do you know how immature you're being? Do you?" he raised an eyebrow questioningly. I frowned.

"But she did steal him." I replied sadly.

"Well," Christian said sarcastically, "look at it this way- now he doesn't _want_ you anymore. He wants Tasha."

I snarled and leaped towards the bars, hissing furiously. Tasha yanked Christian back so I couldn't touch him. "Stop it!" Tasha ordered.

The guardians came rushing forward, stakes at the ready. My anger dimmed and fear took its place. _Dangerous_. _Unstable_. _Reckless_. No wonder I had been locked up.

"Its fine, she's okay, she's just upset." Tasha explained hastily, ushering the guardians away. They didn't move. "_Go_. It's under control." Tasha barked. They retreated but watched me heavily. My breathing returned to normal, I let go of the bars, stepping back.

"I'm so sorry…" I breathed. Tears sprang in my eyes. "I can't stand this place; it's _killing_ me." I crouched down to the floor and put my hands on my head, pulling at clumps of my hair. I gritted my teeth in frustration.

"It's okay honey, I understand. I promise you we'll think of something to get you out of here. You have my word." Tasha reassured me. I gave her a small smile and mouth a thank you.

"Rose, this is for you." I looked up at Christian who had pulled out a white envelope from his pants pocket. "It's from Lissa." He said, throwing it in my direction with a flick of his wrist. I reached out to grab it and looked up at them both greatfully.

"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me." Tears shon in my eyes and I stood up, shuffling over to my cot.

"Consider yourself lucky we even came. If I knew you were going to treat Tasha and me this way I might have reconsidered coming." Christian muttered. I grimaced.

"I'm glad you came, I feel so alone sometimes. It's driving me insane. I'm truly greatfull you had the courage to come down and see me." Tasha smiled and Christian nodded.

"Well, we better go; we might stop by in a couple of days to see how you're doing." Christian informed me.

"Okay, I'd like that." I smiled as I watched them get escorted out. Once they were out of site I eagerly opened the envelope from Lissa. I knew Lissa still cared about me, getting Christian to come down to my cell and give me the letter proved it. She was still my best friend, I thought happily. Taking a deep breath I unfolded the note and started reading.

_Rose,_

_I know what they're saying isn't true. You didn't kill the queen. We're doing everything we can to prove your innocence. They wouldn't let me visit, that much is obvious. And I wanted to. But the security at the HQ is too tight. The only reason Christian and Tasha were able to enter was because they're not a Dragomir. Strange isn't it? That I can do anything I want but the only thing I want at the moment is untainable to me. I will try to see you soon. I promise. Dimitri is trying, he truly is. Despite what he told you, I can still see and feel the depths of his feelings for you. What he said, disregard that. I want to ask you this in person but since I can't, I guess I will have to do it through letter. Is it true that you have a sister? Rumors have been going around and this one seems the most ridiculous. I would've labelled that as false but I needed confirmation from you. Is it true? I will try to update you on what's circulating around court but it isn't easy. It's difficult to keep a straight face when they're stabbing at your best friend. I'll see you soon, Rose._

_Love from Lissa._

I didn't fight the tears this time. I let them fall freely. Dimitri had lied to me, _again_. I couldn't take this off again on again attitude from him, it was so frustrating! I dropped the letter on the floor and laid back in the cot. I thought about the letters contents for a long time, until a guardian approached my cell. I stiffened.

"You have another visitor." He announced dryly. I sat up stonily and my body immediately tensed up. _Who now_? I wondered.

"Get out of bed Rose!" A familiar voice chastised.

"Mom?" I said, utterly shocked. Sure enough my mom was standing at the front of my cell with both hands on her hips, staring at me disapprovingly.

"Honestly, didn't they think to give you a brush? Your hair is a mess. What have you done to yourself, huh?" She said, sounding momlike. I smiled and quickly put a hand through my hair, trying to make it neat.

"Your fathers here to, you know" She looked over to her left and I followed her gaze until my eyes rested on Abe who was wearing his usual designer suits. He came over, looking disgusted.

"They sure don't give you good living conditions do they?" he said, looking around my cell.

"Well I am in _jail, _old man." I retorted but not in a rude way.

"Yes, I realise that." He replied in amusement. "Not for much longer though" he added.

"Enough joking around- let's get straight to the point." Mom chastised.

"You have a sister Rose." Abe said, eyeing me calmly. He seemed to be expecting some kind of reaction from me but my facial expression didn't change.

"So I've heard." I replied simply. "But how is that exactly?" I asked, curious.

"Er, well… when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, sometimes they-" I cut Abe off.

"Yuck! Okay I get it, savour me the specifics, _please_!" I scrunched up my face, grossed out. Abe and my mother chuckled.

"How come I've never heard of her?" I asked, confused.

"Her request." My mother shrugged.

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"Australia."

"Oh, well, that narrows it down!" I said sarcastically.

"Western Australia."

"She a guardian?"

"No. But she is a dhampir. She used to be an Alchemist." I jerked my head in surprise.

"But that's impossible!"

"Anything's possible with money, Rose." My father said slyly.

I narrowed my eyes. "Is that it?" I tried to keep a cool mask of impassiveness. But it wasn't easy. Hearing your parents confirm that you have a long lost sister really just doesn't make your day.

"That's it." They turned to walk away and I watched their retreating forms until they vanished from my line of vision.

I have a sister. Who isn't a guardian. Shocking, really. I have to find her. If she used to be an Alchemist, then maybe she can hack into the system and figure out where Victor Dashkov is hiding. Either way, when I'm outta here, I'm looking for her. And I won't stop until I find her.

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